Suddenly, Ryan and Heather are married, which is new, and I am back at work, which is old--or maybe normal.
I feel different, partly because another of my friends is married now, and partly because I had an emotionally, spiritually, and mentally restful week.
It was not physically restful.
On Wednesday, Tim picked Lars and me up at 6am. We were on I-5 before we knew it, rushing toward Seattle. Somewhere along the way we stopped and picked up a dozen doughnuts and a gallon of oj.
In Seattle, we dropped Lars off at a bus stop. He was on his way to visit with Armin to talk about Lars' thesis, which is coming due soon.
Tim and I continued on to Ryan's apartment, where we met Ryan, Joe, and Jeremy. Soon enough, Dan arrived, and we were all present.
We were late leaving, so we decided to head straight to the cabin instead of trying to hike into the Olympic National Forest late in the evening. We would take a day hike sometime later in the week.
When we arrived at the cabin, we were amazed at the view.
The back yard sits above the sound, a beach spread out below it, an empty island across the water. Joe took the Sea Kayak out. The rest of us dug clams.
In the evening, we threw the clams in salt water, barbecued steaks from the grocery and oysters from the beach. Joe made a salad. We baked potatoes. We ate like kings.
Ryan and I watched the sun go down over the sound and the part of the island that curls left around the water.
We sat on the lower deck and smoked our pipes.
And drifting off to sleep, I thought, "this is just the beginning."
